Self-adjusting boat seat



July 4, 1967 w. s. NORTON SELF-ADJUSTING BOAT SEAT Filed Oct. 20, 1965 United States Patent 3,328,811 SELF-ADJUSTING BOAT SEAT Willie S. Norton, 2224 State St., Little Rock, Ark. 72206 Filed Oct. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 498,299 2 Claims. (Cl. 9-7) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A portable self-adjusting boat seat having swingable hangers for suspending the seat from the side walls of a boat, the hangers being detachable only when swung to a predetermined under-seat position.

This invention relates to a seat construction, and more particularly to a seat for use in a boat.

While ordinary row-boats are commonly constructed with several seats extending between the side walls thereof, such seats are often fixed in position, and in many situations the position is not that desired by an occupant of the boat.

Among the objects of the present invention may be noted the provision of (a) a seat which can be positioned at various locations along the length of the boat; (b) a seat adapted for boats having differing widths by means of a self-adjusting construction; (c) a seat adapted to be supported from the side walls of a boat with means for accommodating various wall thicknesses; (d) a seat in which the hangers or supporting members may be folded to provide a handle for carrying the seat; (e) a seat in which the hangers are locked in supporting position when the seat is in a position to receive an occupant and readily detachable when the supporting members are not in the supporting position and (f) a uniquely simple and inexpensive construction.

These and other objects and advantages may appear more clearly from the following description, which will be related to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a boat on which the seat is in position to receive an occupant;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the seat, in which the boat walls are shown in section; and

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the seat, in which one of the hangers is shown in the process of being detached from the seat.

The drawing shows, in FIGS. 1 and 2, a portion of a boat having side walls 10 and a strake 11 extending longi tudinally along the outside of the wall 10 and at the top thereof.

In the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed the seat board is formed with an enlarged central portion 12, from which are extended the two rectilinear end portions 23. A pair of transversely spaced sockets 21 are secured, 'by the fasteners 22, to the lower side of each of the ends portions 23 between the respective ends of the latter and the central portion 12. Each of the sockets 21 has an opening extending therethrough, and each pair of sockets is disposed with the openings therethrough in coaxial alignment.

A generally -U-shaped hanger 13, formed from a metal rod or tube of circular section, is disposed for swin-gable movement about the axis of each pair of sockets 21. Each hanger includes the inwardly directed portions 14 and 15, which normally extend through each socket of each pair and outwardly beyond the respective edges of the end portions 23, from which points the first portions 16 and 17 of the arms of the hanger normally extend upwardly alongside the seat board and the second portions 18 and 19 of the arms are outwardly directed, and at their respective ends joined by the inwardly and downwardly bight portion 20.

The freely swingable attachment of the hangers renders the assembly self-adjusting to various widths of boats or of a single boat, and the shape of the bight portion enables assured support from boat walls of differing thickness. This is illustrated in FIG. 2, wherein the seat is shown adjusted to a boat having the walls 10' spaced substantially farther apart than the boat having the walls 10. It will of course be obvious that the seat will readily fit any boat having walls of some intermediate spacing.

Another significant advantage of the structure herein is effected by forming the length of the inwardly turned end portions 14 and 15 of the hnager so that it is greater than the aggregate spacing between the board and each arm of the hanger, to limit, when the arms are swung to a position above the board, the degree of shift of the end portions within the sockets to a magnitude less than that required to withdraw an end portion from a socket. Slidable removal of the hangers from the board is thus precluded whenever the seat is in position for occupancy.

The spacing between the arms of the hanger and the edge of the seat board is such that a limited mutual shifting of the hangers occurs when the hangers are swung into overlapping relation at the middle of the board, as indicated by the dashed lines in FIGS. 1 and 2. The bight portions in the position indicated at 20', along with the arm positions 16', 17' and 18, illustrate the manner in which the hangers may be moved to provide a convenient carrying handle for the boat seat.

The bottom plan view, FIG. 3, illustrates the detachable-hanger feature of the invention, which is useful in shipping or otherwise transporting the seat. Whenever the hangers are swung to a position below the board, their lateral shiftability is no longer limited by engagement with the board. This permits removal of the hangers from the board by simply sliding one end portion of a hanger out of its associated socket, and subsequently sliding the other end portion in the other direction to remove it from its associated socket. FIG. 3 shows this procedure in process, the end portion 15 having been slidably removed from the socket 21.

The invention shown and described herein is a preferred embodiment thereof; however, it will be apparent that changes in shape, size and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A boat seat comprising a seat board, a pair of transversely spaced sockets secured to the lower side of each of the end portions of said seat board, each of said sockets having an opening extending therethrough, the openings through each pair being directed transversely with respect to said board and in mutual coaxial relationship, and a pair of removable, generally U-shaped swingably and transversely movable hangers for suspending said seat board from the walls of a boat, each hanger having inwardly turned and transversely spaced end portions and a bight portion formed to rest upon a boat wall, said inwardly turned portions pivotally engaging the openings of a pair of said sockets and extending transversely therefrom beyond said seat board, the arms of said U-shaped hanger extending normally away from the inwardly turned portions in spaced relationship with said seat board and being longitudinally swingably movable to a plurality of positions thereabove and therebelow, the inwardly turned spaced end portions of each hanger extending inwardly into its associated sockets for a distance greater than the aggregate space between said board and the respective arms of saidhanger whereby transverseshiftingof the hanger out of its engaged sockets is precluded by engagement of one or the other of said arms with the edge of the seat board when the arms of said hanger are above said board, the transverse spacing of the end portions being so related to the associated spaced sockets that the end portions are transversely shiftable out of said sockets to effect removal f0 said hanger only when the arms of said hanger are below said board. 1 i

2. The structure defined by claim 1, wherein the bight portions of the hangers are formed to mutually engage in nested relationship in response to transverse shifting of the hangers in their respective associated sockets when said =bight portions are swung to the center of the board, whereby to provide a carrying handle for the boat seat.

, References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 754,369 3/1904 Harbour 4-185 5 892,657 7/1908 =Eustis 4-185 894,706 7/ 1908 Schubert 108-149 X 1,268,540 6/1918 Bayard, 1,301,114 4/ 1919 Eppler 4-185 2,299,178' 10/ 1942 'Reiter 9-7 10 FOREIGN PATENTS 79,960 4/ 1933 Sweden.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

15 B. BELKIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BOAT SEAT COMPRISING A SEAT BOARD, A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED SOCKETS SECURED TO THE LOWER SIDE OF EACH OF THE END PORTIONS OF SAID SEAT BOARD, EACH OF SAID SOCKETS HAVING AN OPENING EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, THE OPENINGS THROUGH EACH PAIR BEING DIRECTED TRANSVERSELY WITH RESPECT TO SAID BOARD AND IN MUTUAL COAXIAL RELATIONSHIP, AND A PAIR OF REMOVABLE, GENERALLY U-SHAPED SWINGABLY AND TRANSVERSELY MOVABLE HANGERS FOR SUSPENDING SAID SEAT BOARD FROM THE WALLS OF A BOAT, EACH HANGER HAVING INWARDLY TURNED AND TRANSVERSELY SPACED END PORTIONS AND A BIGHT PORTION FORMED TO REST UPON A BOAT WALL, SAID INWARDLY TURNED PORTIONS PIVOTALLY ENGAGING THE OPENINGS OF A PAIR OF SAID SOCKETS AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THEREFROM BEYOND SAID SEAT BOARD, THE ARMS OF SAID U-SHAPED HANGER EXTENDING NORMALLY AWAY FROM THE INWARDLY TURNED PORTIONS IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID SEAT BOARD AND BEING LONGITUDINALLY SWINGABLY MOVABLE TO A PLURALITY OF POSITIONS THEREABOVE AND THEREBELOW, THE INWARDLY TURNED SPACED END PORTIONS OF EACH HANGER EXTENDING INWARDLY INTO ITS ASSOCIATED SOCKETS FOR A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE AGGREGATE SPACE BETWEEN SAID BOARD AND THE RESPECTIVE ARMS OF SAID HANGER WHEREBY TRANSVERSE SHIFTING OF THE HANGER OUT OF ITS ENGAGED SOCKETS IS PRECLUDED BY ENGAGEMENT OF ONE OR THE OTHER OF SAID ARMS WITH THE EDGE OF THE SEAT BOARD WHEN THE ARMS OF SAID HANGER ARE ABOVE SAID BOARD, THE TRANSVERSE SPACING OF THE END PORTIONS BEING SO RELATED TO THE ASSOCIATED SPACED SOCKETS THAT THE END PORTIONS ARE TRANSVERSELY SHIFTABLE OUT OF SAID SOCKETS TO EFFECT REMOVAL FOR SAID HANGER ONLY WHEN THE ARMS OF SAID HANGER ARE BELOW SAID BOARD. 